WELCOME TO

MY WORLD

At last I've got round to starting a web-page.

Not all the detials but a few.

Its a big project so may take some time.

Enjoy!

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Leave comments if you feel like it.

Mission Statement

Sitting here at the laptop, in a fanned room, wearing nothing more than my boxer shorts. The 3:30 sunshine is bleaching everything outside.

This is my first entry... Ever! So I don't really have a plan on what to write. I've just been writing my diary and was reminded of this website that's so kindly accomodating me, only for me to not use it. I thought I'd do a spot of typing instead of the 'old-school' writing. New Age and all that.

I, like everybody, want to create an online shrine to no one other than myself. So this shall be my effort. I've no idea about where it's going to go. I have some amazing pictures in my 'digital gallery', so I think it could be the best website there truly ever was.

The Beginning

THAILAND

18.11.2004

Bangkok

My travels began in Bangkok, Thailand on the 18th November 2004. I met a Welsh feller (Nathan) on the bus to the Khao San Road, the road fabricated for backpackers. Headed out that evening after finding accomodation and grabbed a bite to eat followed by a few SangSom buckets. SangSom Thai Rhum + Coke + Red Bull = Good fun + Memory wipe.

I woke the following morning to discover that my bag (containing wallet and camera) was missing. Where could it be? Nathan also couldn't find his bag. Strange. We had been robbed in the night. Welcome to Thailand and Welcome to Travelling! Morale was at an instant low.

I spent my first day trekking over town to find the tourist police to get a statement and see if they could do anything about it. They coudln't.

The following week was spent with Nathan on the Khao San Road. The Khao San isn't the sort of place you should spend any prolonged amount of time on. I arranged for my bank card to be sent out. Waiting for money. Waiting. Thankfully Nathan lent me cash for the week or I would have been up a creek without a paddle!

My week in Bangkok was spent visiting Siam Square (Shopping District), MBK (Mall), riding the Skytrain (along Sukumvit Rd.), watching some locals practising Thai Chi in Lumphini Park, riding the River Express to Banglamphu, walking around a Sunday Market, Dusit Zoo.

Was getting a little worried by this point that my cashcard wasn't going to arrive (fingers were crossed permanently). Nathan could have moved on at any point leaving me cashless and on the street. He didn't.

My cashcard arrived! Went shopping at Panthip Plaza and replaced my camera. Booked the next bus out of Bangkok, destination Koh Chang. I needed some 'island-therapy'. Things must get better from here.

The Ever-busy Khao San Road. Busy 24 hours a day, regardless. Music, food stalls, bars, restaurants markets, secret side-streets, The Khao San has it all.

Escape to Koh Chang

25.11.2004

Koh Chang

At last! My escape from the cloudy, smelly, stuffy dirt-hole that is Bangkok!

Nathan and I took the early bus to Leam Gnop (terminal) heading to White Sand Beach, Koh Chang. Koh Chang is named so because it looks like and elephant. Chang being the Thai word for Elephant. If you squint hard enough, yes, it looks like an Elephant.

I spent a total of 7 days on Koh Chang. During my stay I hung out with Marco and Nathan, eating at local Thai eateries. I also did my PADI Open Water Diver Course, with Ryan, an Autralian guy. Koh Chang was such a nice contrast to the hustle of Bangkok.

Myself, Nathan and Marco rented motorbikes and went for a little 'Tour De Koh Chang'. I had never ridden (or Driven?) a motorbike before, so was somewhat scared and excited. I could imagine what my mother and grandmother would be saying if they were to hear of this ghastly idea of mine!

My time on Koh Chang was really enjoyed. I met some good people and enjoyed diving in the warm waters of the Gulf of Thailand.

Mr. Lek Bungalows; Ensuite bathroom, balcony, mosquito net, 250 Baht a night.

A beautiful sunset on my return from the dive day trip.

The Dusty Road To Sihanoukville

CAMBODIA

2.12.2004

Thai - Cambodian Border

After grudgingly leaving Koh Chang I headed for the Cambodian border. I was on my own for the first time.

I took the bus to Trat and then to Hat Lek on the Thai side of the Cambodian border. The border was a simple walk-through gate heavily guarded on each side by millitary officials armed like a S.W.A.T. team.

I met a girl from the Chech and buddied up with her for the chaotic crossing. Chaotic because of all the random paperwork and taxi drivers on the Cambodian side heckling us for our custom. Once over the border we took a cab to Koh Kong, a small desolate town near the border. My first impressions of Cambodia were not great. Dusty roads and very little activity.

It was that evening that I met two very friendly people, who would become my travelling companions for the following 7 weeks (I did not know this at the time!). Two girls, Jacqueline and Alison, both hailing from Victoria, Canada. I sat and talked to Jacqueline for a while about life, the universe and everything.

The Journey

The following morning we were up early for the bus to Sihanoukville. Little did we know what lay ahead.

The bus journey was quoted as being 5 or 6 hours in length. Ok, fair enough. So off we went. What an unforgettable journey this turned out to be. The roads were the most pot-holed, dusty, bumpy, eroded, treacherous surfaces I've ever had the pleasure of travelling on. We broke down twice. The second break-down involved removing a shock absorber from the rear wheel. Ironic, but the journey got a lot smoother after that! There were a couple of 'ferry' river crossings invloving a few boats strapped together with a few planks of wood thrown over them, very dodgey indeed.

We arrived, eventually, after a gruelling 8 hour rollercoaster of a journey.

Sihanoukville

Reading my diary to sculpt this piece sends a huge dread through me. How will I ever finish this! I have reached the 10th or 15th page of my diary and I have the rest of this one and two more diaries to go! Ouch. This is going to take far far longer than I first thought!

Sihanoukville was cool. A nice introduction to Cambodia. Cambodia was very different from Thailand from the outset. The people were different. The currency was crazy (currently 1 GBP = 7,317 Cambodian Riel!). The arcitecture was unique. Sihanoukville was a smallish town, very spread out. Named after the Cambodian Prince, Prince Sihanouk. My history isn't fantastic so I'll leave it there on the facts.

Sihanoukville moments...

• Scuba Diving with ScubaNation
• Jacko and I at the Kbal Chhay Waterfalls
• Geckozy's (Our Guest house) resident dog 'Haba' meaning 'leaf' or 'marijuana' in Japanese
• Snake Farm
• Drinking rice whiskey, with locals, from a bottle containing sea horses! The most foul concoction ever!
• Attempting to enter the Angkor Beer Brewery for a look around, only to be told 'NO'.

'Jacko' Jacqueline and Myself on our newly rented motorbikes. Much fun proceeded!

A young girl at the Kbal Chhay Waterfalls

Following Sihanoukville, Jacko, Alison and myself had formed a formidable trio. All getting on swimmingly we decided to stick together for the time being. Off we went to Phnom Pehn.

Phnom Pehn

8.12.2004

Phnom Pehn

Cambodia's capital has a abundace of shocking history I was unaware of until my arrival here. The bus took 4 hours from Sihanoukville. We jumped on the Sunday Guest House minibus on our arrival into the city, avoiding mass-heckling. Thankfully Alison had already pre-booked our stay at the Sunday G.H.

Phnom Pehn had a strange feel about it. I was expecting Bangkok-style madness, I was greeted with only moderate mayhem. We had a reconnaissance walk around town grabbing a 'Lucky Burger' from a mall which was in the process of being demolished!

Our first cultural visit was Wat Phnom. A huge Khmer temple (Wat) in the centre of Phnom Pehn. Outside around the edge monkeys walked the land and gladly accepted nut offerings from us humble humans!

The Grand Palace

Getting to the Grand Palace without being run-over was somewhat of a miracle! The roads were nuts! Anything goes. The Grand Palace was breathtaking. A large collection of Ornate and pristine buildings; Throne Hall, Dance Pavillion and a building that Napoleon used in the French occupation years. The picture shown here is the Dance Pavillion.

The Killing Fields

This was an emotional day for all three of us. The Killing Fields are a collection of mass graves resulting from the Khmer Rouge uprising in the 70's. The Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, were a brutal force who decided they wanted to control Cambodia. The site had a sullen feel about it. As we walked through the plot we passed grave after grave all signposted with the amount said to be buried here. As many as 8000 in one pit. In the centre a memorial building stood high. This buiding housed all the skulls of those who lost their lives. This building stood very tall indeed. This picture shows the skulls arranged en mass on glass shelves within the memorial.

S-21 Toul Sleng

Toul Sleng translates as "A place on a mound to keep those who bear or supply guilt". It is a school taken over by the Khmer Rouge and used for detainment and torture of all those who opposed the Knhmer Rouge Regime. It was a chilling real-life insight into a recent war. It served as a stark reminder of how sick war can be and the huan race when it choses to oppose humanity.

A Cyclo Driver

Cyclos would cruise the cty streets day and night looking to transport poeple, but anything would suffice as a customer just like this driver with his load of things.



A Monument in the centre of Phnom Pehn.

Seam Riep & Angkor

11.12.2004

Angkor

I was looking forward to feasting my eyes on the spectacles of the ancient world that form the Angkor Site. This place is seriously rich in history from ancient times. History has never been a strong point for me so I won't pretend that I'm an expert on this, as I clearly am not. The ancient site is situated a few miles out of Seam Riep, where everybody stays and eats. Seam Riep, in itself, was a nice place. Quite small and obviously growing from the tourism surrounding Angkor.

We booked into a guest house, named the 13th guest house, interesting name. Our visit to Seam Riep was purely to spend some time taking in as much as possible at Angkor. Which we did.

We bought 3-day passes for about $60 US, a fortune by Cambodian standards. The pictures really do the talking. The structures were phenomenal, really breathtaking. Massive monliths of ancient times, some dating back as far as the 2nd century.

Angelina Jolie and the Tombraider crew headed to Angkor Wat to shoot scenes for the first movie. You might recognise the outside, I didn't as I've not seen the film.

Phnom Pehn - The Return

16.12.2004

Guess Whos Back

Back to the Sunday Guest house for a few nights before devising our entry to Vietnam. Naseem, the hotel guy, was happy to see us again.

The following day it was a lie-in and then off to the National Museum. We were feeding our cultural addiction. More Bhudda statues, Naga Statues and intricate ancient carvings. Some had come directly from the Angkor site and others from all over Cambodia. Cambodia is a fascinating country I knew so, so little about before crossing it's border.

Which leads me nicely off at a tangent to add this: I didn't travel with a Lonely Planet, or any guide book. I wanted surprise on a daily basis, which cannot be gained through research. I guess thats why I spent 6 months in Asia instead of my original 'planned' 4 months.

The National Museum

Shooting an M16 Rifle

The following day I took a cruise up to the Shooting Range. A common rumour said that you can fire M16s and AK47s for a price. The price was $30 US for 30 Bullets, but its not everyday this opportunity faces us is it? 30 Bullets don't last too long. The noise was shocking. Possibly the loudest thing I've ever heard, thats with ear deflectors on too. On a more real note, I felt a little somber at the thought of these guns being used to kill innocent people in the Khmer Rouge revolution.

Motorbike Wash

The following day it was time to head to Vietnam on a scenic Meekong River trip. Another day another country. That's what is was starting to feel like.

The Passage to Vietnam

VIETNAM

19.12.2004

The Journey

After sorting out visas we jumped on the boat for a river entry to Vietnam south along the Meekong River. What better way than to cruise down the infamous shipping route through South East Aisa.

The journey was smooth with us arriving, unruffled, in Chau Doc on the Vietnamese side of the border. We spent the night there and arranged a small tour to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) with a stop or two along the way. We had one night at a homestay in a small village called Phong Dien. Here we got an instant taste of Vietnamese life. Fresh coconuts were swiped from overhead trees and cut open for our growing thirsts. We took a tour around the village and watch a local family making mats, along with loads of other crafts. Then a river cruise to see the floating market, a market like no other I've ever seen!

Popped into an incence factory in My Tho. Next stop was a Baonsai garden, which had a mini-zoo side show. A monkey had devised an exit from his cage and escaped at will, only to return when his mischief had finished. Check out this cheeky picture...



Finally it was on the bus all the way to Ho Chi Minh. We got accomodation and headed out for food. Exhausted. But loving the feel of being in yet another 'new' country.

Ho Chi Minh City

22.12.2004

Lots to Do

No rest for the wicked. How wicked we must have been! No sooner had we got to Saigon and we'd booked out next trip, Cu Chi Tunnels and the Cao Dai Temple. Not in that order!

This is the inside of the Cao Dai temple during a routine mass. The colours were phenomenal. I've never seen anything like this decoration.



The Cao Dai religion is a mix of three religions, Bhuddism, Confusionism and Taoism. The best bits from each, I guess.

After that it was off to the Cu Chi Tunnels. These tunnels were built by the resistance in the Vietnam War. A mass of intricate winding tunnels, call it an undeground city. It was easy to see how the Americans struggled in attacking its enemy. Tanks were useless.


U.S. Tank

The following day it was up and out again. Shopping and The War Remnants museum were on the agenda. The museum was closed for lunch when we arrived so we walked around a bit, checked out a Chinese temple and then back. Open. Spent quite some time learning about this war I didn't really know much about. The museum was very anti-american, and I certainly was shocked to see the 'other side of the story'.

Christmas in Nha Trang

24.12.2004

Festive Break

Christmas is here and we had just moved on to Nha Trang. We felt like a beach would be a good place to celebrate a hot Christmas. It was also a chance to not-travel for a week or so. A welcome idea for all of us. Sleeping in a different bed every night can be really tiring.

This would be my first Christmas away from the 'warm-fire n turkey' family Christmas. It was looking to be a very different Christmas indeed. And then I would see signs that Christmas wouldn't be too different.


Classic

Christmas day was spent in the water, Diving. I thought I'd use this special day to do something I enjoy.

We spent a total of 2 weeks in Nha Trang. So I could write loads. But I'll try and keep it short.

One day was spent on a day trip to a few sights in the area. We headed out to a small village to drop some sweets in to some school kids. As you can see they were happy we came.



I spent a fair bit of my time being acosted by Cuong. A motorbike driver who tried so hard to get me to spend my money on his taxi services. He seemed like he had a good heart. One evening he invites me to his humble house for his daughter's first birthday party. I saw it as a great opportunity to get some 'can't buy this' cultural experience.



He gave me a lift home a little later on and asked me for some money for the beers. Everything for a price. I was dissapointed that it ended in money asking. Nonetheless an interesting experience.




Happy New Year

A little drunk at the sailing club. We stayed in Nha Trang for New Year too. Nha Trang was enjoyed by all. It was sad leaving but the wheels had to keep on turning. Life on the road.

Tailor Made Hoi An

6.1.2005

New Wardrobe

Hoi An is a beautiful smallish town about halfway up the country's massive seaboard. Its best known for its clothes making industry. They'll make anything and charge very little for it. I ended up going a bit insane. I think it was the fact I was hanging out with two insane (in a shopping sense) girls.

Quick Stop in Hue

11.1.2005

Hue

Just one night in Hue. I wasn't blown away by it. Jacko and I had a look at the Citadel and a pagoda before heading to Hanoi, the final Vietnamese destination and a fork in the path.

The Imposing Citadel

17 Hours to Hanio

13.1.2005

Killer Journey

A killer it was. 17 hours. A couple of stops in the dead of night. Drastic temperature drops as we headed north. We checked into The Old Darling Cafe on arrival and rested in a cold cold room. We were given a foot heater to heat the room.

The week or so spent in Hanoi was largely spent at a bar called Labyrinth. We went there the first night we arrived and thought the guys who ran the bar were good guys. They turned out to great people. We went off to Pagodas, museums, fishing, ten-pin bowling amongst other things. Every night would be spent in the bar. We didn't drink every night, I don't think we did.


Left to Right: An, Phoung and Hung



A New Sales Job


The Fishing Pond

It was Hanoi where myself and my two Canadian friends went our separate ways. They were on a tighter time schedule so headed for Laos, I decided to intensify the adventure and challenge and head for Beijing.

After the girld left, I had a couple of days to kill. So my body decided it was time for a bout of the flu. This was about a week after hearing a few had died of bird flu in Vietnam. I was so sick. The cold weather wasn't helping! I tucked myself up in bed and awaited my 42 hour journey to Beijing.

The Mighty Beijing

CHINA

23.1.2005

Train to infinity

I boarded the Train to Beijing not having a clue about what I was getting myself into. Not just with the train journey, but the whole China thing. The unknown. I wisely bought myself a copy of the the China Lonely Planet for a few dollars, $6 I think. After chatting to a nice Canadian couple on the train I at least had a good tip on where to stay. The majority of the journey was spent talking to a 16yr North Korean chap about the war in Iraq, War and the Army. I arrived in Beijing disoriented and looking like a caveman. I had seen nothing but the interior of my train for nearly two whole days. It was -10 Degrees Centigrade outside and I was quite unprepared for the chill. Little did I know about the challenges that lay ahead.

Travelling in my luxurious soft-sleeper cabin

I made it to the recommended hostel and got a bed in a four bed dormitory. After chatting to a bunch of fellow Swedish backpackers I booked myself a ticket to the Great Wall for the following morning. Up early for the 2 hours minibus to the Jinshanling stretch for a 10km trek from Jinshanling to Simatai .

A Mongolian girl selling postcards to us en route

The walk was moderately strenuous but fascinatingly beautiful. Everywhere you look you could see the wall stretching off to the horizon.

The day on the wall instantly got me into the China thing. I was excited about being there and had a sneaky suspicion I could learn plenty from this experience.

The following day I was alone. The Swedes moved on, I was going solo again. Decided to carry on the sight-seeing and head off to The Summer Palace, home of past Emperors during the hot summer months.

Misty Grandeur

A Welcoming Lion

The Summer Palace was, like the Great Wall, massive, absolutely massive. The Chinese have a thing in common with the Americans, and that is that they don't do things without them being massive. A huge frozen (seasonal) lake surrounds an island with a temple. Grand ornate bridges. Buildings filled with history and hoards of memorabilia from past empires.

This picture above is the Mausoleum of the once 'great' (debateable) Mao. This gigantic building houses the not-so-massive corpse of Mao, and not very much else. I wasn't allowed to take my camera or any type of bag. The queue was 5 wide and 50 long. We shuffled up the steps and inside, under strict supervision of the numerous millitary guards. I the centre of the first hall was a huge Mao statue, we're talking 20ft high. Followers laid bunches of flowers at his feet. The next hall had a giant glass v-shape barrier between the centred coffin draped in the Chinese flag and the spectators, still shuffling along slowly. You aren't allowed to stop and stare. Mao's body lays atop the coffin with a bright light illuminating his face, giving it an eerie flow. The rest of the room is in darkness. 30 seconds later you are walking through the outer door back down the steps onto Tiananmen square.

A giant Mao potriat sits above the entrance to the outer gate of The Forbidden City. Facing onto the north end of Tiananmen square , The Forbidden City is surrounded by huge red walls and is loaded with history. Temples, ceremonial halls, prized relics of previous empires.

Beijing was a real eye-opener for me. Not only a fact and sightseeing packed introduction to China, but a culture shock like no other I'd experinced yet. It was -10 Degrees Centigrade and a distinct smell of communism in the air.